Described techniques and apparatuses relate to determining an attenuation environment surrounding a satellite terminal in a satellite communication system. The satellite terminal may receive signals from an auxiliary satellite system, and determine aspects of an attenuation environment that may affect communications with a communications satellite system. For example, transmissions from an auxiliary satellite system may be associated with a respective location of the transmitting satellite in order to define an attenuation profile for the satellite terminal antenna assembly. Subsequent signals from the auxiliary satellite system may be compared with the attenuation map, and the comparison may be used to identify a diagnostic condition for communications with a communications satellite system. In some examples the comparison of signals to the attenuation profile may indicate an obstruction between the satellite terminal antennas and a communications satellite, or a misalignment of a satellite terminal antenna assembly.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for communications in a satellite communication system, the method comprising: identifying a first attenuation profile for a first position of a satellite terminal, the first attenuation profile mapping at least one radio frequency (RF) signal characteristic associated with a set of one or more satellites; identifying a second attenuation profile for a second position of the satellite terminal, the second attenuation profile mapping the at least one RF signal characteristic associated with the set of one or more satellites; and identifying, based at least in part on the first attenuation profile and the second attenuation profile, a diagnostic condition for communication between the satellite terminal and a satellite not included in the set of one or more satellites.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the first attenuation profile, identifying the second attenuation profile, or both, comprises: receiving transmissions via an antenna of the satellite terminal that is configured for unidirectional communications.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication between the satellite terminal and the satellite not included in the set of one or more satellites comprises: communicating signals via an antenna of the satellite terminal that is configured for bidirectional communications.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein: identifying the first attenuation profile and identifying the second attenuation profile comprises receiving signals at a first antenna of the satellite terminal; and the communication between the satellite terminal and the satellite not included in the set of one or more satellites comprises communicating signals via a second antenna of the satellite terminal that is different than the first antenna.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first antenna is configured for unidirectional communications and the second antenna is configured for bidirectional communications.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: measuring, at the satellite terminal, a plurality of transmissions received from the set of one or more satellites; associating each of the plurality of transmissions with a respective location of a transmitting satellite; and determining the first attenuation profile and the second attenuation profile based at least in part on the measured plurality of transmissions and the respective locations of the transmitting satellite.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining the first attenuation profile and determining the second attenuation profile are based at least in part on a physical location of the satellite terminal.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one RF signal characteristic comprises one or more of: RF signal strength, RF signal attenuation, RF signal interference, RF signal-to-noise ratio, or RF signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, or any combination thereof.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: communicating, to a device outside the satellite terminal, at least one of: the first attenuation profile, the second attenuation profile, a difference between the first attenuation profile and the second attenuation profile, or the identified diagnostic condition.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising triggering the communication between the satellite terminal and the satellite not included in the set of one or more satellites based at least in part on the identified diagnostic condition.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: selecting, from a plurality of satellites providing a communication service, the satellite not included in the set of one or more satellites based at least in part on the identified diagnostic condition.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of one or more satellites comprises a global navigation satellite system constellation.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the satellite not included in the set of one or more satellites is a geostationary satellite.
14. A satellite terminal, comprising: a first antenna; a second antenna; a processor; memory in electronic communication with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the satellite terminal to: identify, based at least in part on first signaling received via the first antenna, a first attenuation profile for the satellite terminal, the first attenuation profile mapping at least one radio frequency (RF) signal characteristic associated with a set of one or more satellites; identify, based at least in part on second signaling received via the first antenna, a second attenuation profile for the satellite terminal, the second attenuation profile mapping the at least one RF signal characteristic associated with the set of one or more satellites; identify, based at least in part on the first attenuation profile and the second attenuation profile, a diagnostic condition for communication, via the second antenna, between the satellite terminal and a satellite not included in the set of one or more satellites.
15. The satellite terminal of claim 14 , wherein the first antenna is configured for signal reception and the second antenna is configured for signal transmission and signal reception.
16. The satellite terminal of claim 14 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to cause the satellite terminal to: determine the first attenuation profile based at least in part on a physical location of the satellite terminal; and determine the second attenuation profile based at least in part on a physical location of the satellite terminal.
17. The satellite terminal of claim 14 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to cause the satellite terminal to: trigger the communication between the satellite terminal and the satellite not included in the set of one or more satellites based at least in part on the identified diagnostic condition.
18. The satellite terminal of claim 14 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to cause the satellite terminal to: select, from a plurality of satellites providing a communication service, the satellite not included in the set of one or more satellites based at least in part on the identified diagnostic condition.
19. The satellite terminal of claim 14 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to cause the satellite terminal to: communicate, to a device outside the satellite terminal, at least one of: the first attenuation profile, the second attenuation profile, a difference between the first attenuation profile and the second attenuation profile, or the identified diagnostic condition.
20. An apparatus for satellite communications comprising: means for identifying a first attenuation profile for a first position of a satellite terminal, the first attenuation profile mapping at least one radio frequency (RF) signal characteristic associated with a set of one or more satellites; means for identifying a second attenuation profile for a second position of the satellite terminal, the second attenuation profile mapping the at least one RF signal characteristic associated with the set of one or more satellites; and means for identifying, based at least in part on the first attenuation profile and the second attenuation profile, a diagnostic condition for communication between the satellite terminal and a satellite not included in the set of one or more satellites.
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June 6, 2019
March 17, 2020
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